Robert F. Smith

About Robert F. Smith

Robert F. Smith founded private equity firm Vista Equity Partners in 2000. It focuses exclusively on investing in software companies.

With about $100 billion in assets, Vista is one of the best-performing private equity firms, posting annualized returns of 31% since inception.

As a college student, Smith secured an internship at Bell Labs after calling the company every week for five months.

An engineer by training, he worked at Kraft Foods and Goodyear Tire before getting his MBA at Columbia University.

In 2020, Smith entered into an agreement with the DOJ and the IRS, agreeing to pay $139 million for his role in a tax evasion scheme.

During a commencement speech, Smith vowed to wipe out the student debt of the entire 2019 graduating class of Morehouse College.